I have had a 75 gallon tank setup for the past year and most plants do fine, but everytime I plant vals they slowly died away. I now setup of 180 gallon and stocked LOTS of vals in it and the first batch died away. Batch two is slowly dieing and I just added a few more.
What am I doing wrong?
What conditions do your vals grow well in?
Andy
Can't grow Vals...
Started by
Guest_andyavram_*
, Oct 13 2009 08:09 AM
14 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_Newt_*
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Posted 13 October 2009 - 09:13 AM
My vals died back and regrew after I planted them. They were fluorishing for a long time, but I thinned them and replanted them and they have not returned to their former glory. I think part of my problem is that there is too much gravel above the soil.
I have heard that Fluorish Excel is deadly to vals, so if you're using that it may be an issue.
I have heard that Fluorish Excel is deadly to vals, so if you're using that it may be an issue.
#3
Guest_Kanus_*
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Posted 13 October 2009 - 09:39 AM
They do best in at least somewhat hard water too, I believe.
#4
Guest_UncleWillie_*
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Posted 13 October 2009 - 10:44 AM
I've had best growth and survival out of Vals when I kind of 'acclimate' them as I would a fish to the tank after collecting it. Like Newt said, they may die back and bit, but then put back out. I have also noticed that they do much metter in the soft, sandy areas in my tank as apposed to areas or mostly pea gravel. I also thought mine were dead, but after moving flagfish to another tank, they quickly put back out. I watched flagfish in another tank with Vals and they nibbled it down to nothing.
#5
Guest_nativeplanter_*
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Posted 13 October 2009 - 11:46 AM
If you collected the plants yourself, are you sure they are vals? Sparganium, in its submerged form, is awfully similar. I've never been able to get Sparganium to grow in an aquarium.
#6
Guest_lozgod_*
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Posted 13 October 2009 - 02:13 PM
Hard to say what you are doing wrong if you don't list what you are doing now.What am I doing wrong?
What conditions do your vals grow well in?
Andy
What is your lighting situation (watts per gallon, type, how long are they on for a day)?
What are you using as substrate?
What is your PH?
#7
Guest_BTDarters_*
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Posted 13 October 2009 - 11:10 PM
I'd have to ask how hard your water is. Vals like hard water. Also, I can refute the Flourish Excel situation. I have Vals growing like gangbusters in a tank that I fertilize with Flourish Excel every day.
Brian
Brian
#8
Guest_andyavram_*
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Posted 14 October 2009 - 08:47 AM
Sorry for the delayed responses.
Some of them may die back and regrow, but some of them definately died. When I pulled a few nasty looking ones out the roots stunk.
I assume my water is hard - it comes from Lake Erie and leaves hard water stains on things.
I have about 2" of soil under .5-1" of sand. Lighting is now 2 watts per gallon over the plants, left on about 12-14 hours. I have added no fertilizers or anything.
I am assuming they are Vals and not Sparganium, but I admit I just looked the plant up. There are no terrestrial bur-reeds growing in this area (where I see Bur-reeds I see the aquatic forms too) and they are growing about 3' away from the river bank in a huge mat in mud ranging from 1.5-5' deep. They also have runners.
Andy
Some of them may die back and regrow, but some of them definately died. When I pulled a few nasty looking ones out the roots stunk.
I assume my water is hard - it comes from Lake Erie and leaves hard water stains on things.
I have about 2" of soil under .5-1" of sand. Lighting is now 2 watts per gallon over the plants, left on about 12-14 hours. I have added no fertilizers or anything.
I am assuming they are Vals and not Sparganium, but I admit I just looked the plant up. There are no terrestrial bur-reeds growing in this area (where I see Bur-reeds I see the aquatic forms too) and they are growing about 3' away from the river bank in a huge mat in mud ranging from 1.5-5' deep. They also have runners.
Andy
#9
Guest_Loki_*
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Posted 14 October 2009 - 11:31 AM
how many watts of light is in your 75g? is it the standard footprinted tank? or is it the deep 75g tank?
#10
Guest_andyavram_*
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Posted 14 October 2009 - 11:40 AM
Right now over the 75 I have no plants and 40 watts (it is all being moved). I have 3 corallife 60 or 65 watt lights and in the 57 I doubled up on the planted section. Right now I have two of the lights over the planted 1/3 of the 180 (so that comes to 2 watts / gallon over the planted area).
Andy
Andy
#11
Guest_Bob_*
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Posted 14 October 2009 - 08:01 PM
They seem to grow better if you add a little garden limestone to your water during a water change. I know someone who adds sodium bicarbonate to her water (she keeps Tanganyikans) and her plants seem to be doing well.
Mine grew like gangbusters for awhile, then stayed fairly short. I switched from limestone to calcium chloride, and didn't get the growth like I used to.
I've read on one of the forums (maybe this one) that val can split one of the carbons off the carbonate molecule, to make CO2, which then helps its growth.
Recently, I added sodium bicarbonate along with the calcium chloride, and they seem to be growing better.
Mine grew like gangbusters for awhile, then stayed fairly short. I switched from limestone to calcium chloride, and didn't get the growth like I used to.
I've read on one of the forums (maybe this one) that val can split one of the carbons off the carbonate molecule, to make CO2, which then helps its growth.
Recently, I added sodium bicarbonate along with the calcium chloride, and they seem to be growing better.
#12
Guest_lozgod_*
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Posted 15 October 2009 - 12:51 AM
ok, I have Vals growing GREAT!!!! with runners and the runners are pretty strong as well. All of this in about a months time. They are at their tallest about 27 inches. Need trimming.
vsl.jpeg 94.15KB
2 downloads
Here is what I have going on in my tank. Maybe you can find something you should or shouldn't be doing with yours. I have a regular 75 gallon tank.
My PH is in the ballpark of 7.2-7.4, don't know much else as far as water chemistry. Only test for ammonia, PH, nitrites and nitrates.
Have filtration but no carbon. Carbon robs the water of nutrients. My filtration consists of zeolite (I have severe ammonia problems), sponges, and bio balls.
I have 2 inches of generic garden soil covered in 1.5-2 inchs of fine play sand and med sized gravel.
My substrate is loaded with california blackworms.
My lighting is 2 watts per gallon. My lighting is 40 watts cool flourexcent and 110 watts are from a 50/50 Coral life evenly split 55 watts each of blue actinic and 6000k natural daylight 12-15 hours a day. No sunlight due to no window available.
I would say I have about 45 inches of fish.
Crowns of vals aew slightly submerged in sand/gravel but not much.
No fertilizers. Do slightly overfeed to make sure grazing fish get theirs. Cut back some due to ammonia readings.
Bunch of floating frogbit.
Thats about it. The rest is left up to the creator.
Excuse the cloudiness. Had to move some plants around. Re-scaping the entire tank and adding more plants.
vsl.jpeg 94.15KB
2 downloads Here is what I have going on in my tank. Maybe you can find something you should or shouldn't be doing with yours. I have a regular 75 gallon tank.
My PH is in the ballpark of 7.2-7.4, don't know much else as far as water chemistry. Only test for ammonia, PH, nitrites and nitrates.
Have filtration but no carbon. Carbon robs the water of nutrients. My filtration consists of zeolite (I have severe ammonia problems), sponges, and bio balls.
I have 2 inches of generic garden soil covered in 1.5-2 inchs of fine play sand and med sized gravel.
My substrate is loaded with california blackworms.
My lighting is 2 watts per gallon. My lighting is 40 watts cool flourexcent and 110 watts are from a 50/50 Coral life evenly split 55 watts each of blue actinic and 6000k natural daylight 12-15 hours a day. No sunlight due to no window available.
I would say I have about 45 inches of fish.
Crowns of vals aew slightly submerged in sand/gravel but not much.
No fertilizers. Do slightly overfeed to make sure grazing fish get theirs. Cut back some due to ammonia readings.
Bunch of floating frogbit.
Thats about it. The rest is left up to the creator.
Excuse the cloudiness. Had to move some plants around. Re-scaping the entire tank and adding more plants.
#13
Guest_BTDarters_*
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Posted 15 October 2009 - 03:53 AM
Not a bad looking tank, actually. Very natural.
Brian
Brian
#14
Guest_Bob_*
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Posted 15 October 2009 - 11:07 AM
One other thing--temperature may be a factor. Mine grew best when I was keeping sailfin mollies, which I kept at 80 degrees. Now, the tanks are about at 65 to 85 degrees, and the Val doesn't seem to be growing as well.
#15
Guest_Casper Cox_*
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Posted 15 October 2009 - 07:04 PM
I had a wall of val in my indoor 55. A canister filtered Florida tank. Its outside now because it cracked at the corner seam, and stays only 1/2 full.
Unperfumed kitty litter, about 1", under about another 1" of sand, and capped with a thin layer of gravel.
Water ph is about average, temps room ( no heater ) and 2, 24" compact flos, timered.
It was and still is ( now outside ) a jungle. A difficult job hunched over with sissors mowing it.
The val came from "Ken of the Desert" years ago.
I found that quality lights and the kitty litter revolutionized my plant success. Before that it was only java moss and fern and anubis... all perfect beginner plants, better than plastic. Living filtration.
Keep experimenting.
Unperfumed kitty litter, about 1", under about another 1" of sand, and capped with a thin layer of gravel.
Water ph is about average, temps room ( no heater ) and 2, 24" compact flos, timered.
It was and still is ( now outside ) a jungle. A difficult job hunched over with sissors mowing it.
The val came from "Ken of the Desert" years ago.
I found that quality lights and the kitty litter revolutionized my plant success. Before that it was only java moss and fern and anubis... all perfect beginner plants, better than plastic. Living filtration.
Keep experimenting.
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